Instability Spreads to Russia's Southern Border

September 22, 2022

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

What is behind the recent wave of instability between states on Russia’s southern periphery? Joshua Kucera and Madeleine Reeves discuss.

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About the Episode

While Putin overreaches in his war on Ukraine, tensions are flaring in the former Soviet territories along present-day Russia’s southern border. The most immediate danger comes from two conflicts that escalated this month— between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Caucasus and between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, both clashes leading to hundreds being killed. Eurasianet’s Joshua Kucera and University of Oxford’s Madeleine Reeves join Deep Dish to explore the erupting violence and whether it could spiral into war.

Reading List

Russia’s struggles in Ukraine seed conflict in its neighborhood, Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, September 22, 2022

About the Experts

Joshua Kucera

Caucasus Editor, EurasiaNet

Joshua Kucera is a journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia, who writes regularly about the former Soviet Union. An expert on the Caucasus, he is the Caucasus editor at Eurasianet. And his pieces from the region have appeared in Slate, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Foreign Policy.

Madeleine Reeves

Professor, Anthropology of Migration, University of Oxford

Madeleine Reeves is a professor in the Anthropology of Migration at the University of Oxford. She is an expert on Central Asia having done in depth research in the region on a wide-range of issues including borders, labor migration, and sovereignty.

Brian Hanson

Former Vice President, Studies

Brian Hanson served as the vice president of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He managed the Council's research operations and hosted the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.